Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Oxygen Enrichment Eradicates Helicobacter pylori In Vitro and In Vivo

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori is an important risk factor for gastric ulcers. However, antibacterial therapies increase the resistance rate and decrease the eradication rate of H. pylori. Inspired by the microaerophilic characteristics of H. pylori, we aimed at effectively establishing an oxygen-enriched environment to eradicate and prevent the recurrence of H. pylori. The effect and the mechanism of an oxygen-enriched environment in eradicating H. pylori and preventing the recurrence were explored in vitro and in vivo. During oral administration and after drug withdrawal, H. pylori counts were evaluated by Giemsa staining in animal cohorts. An oxygen-enriched environment in which H. pylori could not survive was successfully established by adding hydrogen peroxide into several solutions and rabbit gastric juice. Hydrogen peroxide effectively killed H. pylori in Columbia blood agar and special peptone broth. Minimum inhibition concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations of hydrogen peroxide were both relatively stable after promotion of resistance for 30 generations, indicating that hydrogen peroxide did not easily promote resistance in H. pylori. In models of Mongolian gerbils and Kunming mice, hydrogen peroxide has been shown to significantly eradicate and effectively prevent the recurrence of H. pylori without toxicity and damage to the gastric mucosa. The mechanism of hydrogen peroxide causing H. pylori death was related to the disruption of bacterial cell membranes. The oxygen-enriched environment achieved by hydrogen peroxide eradicates and prevents the recurrence of H. pylori by damaging bacterial cell membranes. Hydrogen peroxide thus provides an attractive candidate for anti-H. pylori treatment.

Animal Models and Helicobacter pylori Infection

“…Mongolian gerbils are small rodents that develop similar infection symptoms, such as appetite and weight loss, and recapitulate many features of H. pylori -induced gastric colonization, inflammation, ulceration, and carcinogenesis, as seen in humans [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Several other studies demonstrated the development of H. pylori -induced gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, and IM following an experimental bacterial challenge in Mongolian gerbils [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

“…Moreover, the bacterial counts of H. pylori in the triple-drug group were higher than those in the hydrogen peroxide group and lower than those in the H. pylori -infected control group. Overall, the results of this study indicated a higher efficacy of hydrogen peroxide in eliminating and preventing the recurrence of H. pylori than that of triple-drug therapy [ 23 ]. Moreover, the study found no toxicity or damage due to hydrogen peroxide in the gastric mucosa.…”

“…Moreover, the study found no toxicity or damage due to hydrogen peroxide in the gastric mucosa. Hydrogen peroxide can disrupt bacterial cell membranes, and the oxygen-enriched environment provided by hydrogen peroxide eradicates and prevents H. pylori recurrence, thus providing an attractive candidate for treating H. pylori infection [ 23 ].…”

Antioxidant capacity and hydrogen peroxide formation by black and orange carrots

“…The generation of low concentrations od hydrogen peroxide in cooked carrots does not appear to raise health problems and may even have beneficial effects. Hydrogen peroxide can exert bactericidal and virucidal action contributing to the mouth hygiene and health (Hernandez et al 2019, Caruso et al 2020) and acting on Helicobacter pylori in the stomach (Di et al 2020). This compound promotes gastric motility (Fajardo et al 2018).…”

First Evidence of a Relationship Between Female Major Histocompatibility Complex Diversity and Eggshell Bacteria in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus)

“…The sheep blood supplement allows the culture of most culturable bacteria, regardless of their metabolic requirements 1 . Columbia blood agar has been used to cultivate bacteria from different animal taxa including birds (Ruiz-de-Castañeda et al, 2011b;Merbach et al, 2019) and mammals (Infante et al, 2008;Di et al, 2020).…”